Panic Room
by bishounen lovah
Summary: Duero Parfet Locked Room Ohohohohoho! R&R pls! *FIN*
1. Setting the Trap

**BISHLOV NOTES:**

[1] This is my first try on a Vandread fan fiction so pardon any mistakes especially on the spelling of the names.  I have to rely on the subtitles of the anime and I noticed that some of the spellings of the names written in the subtitles are different from the names in the other existing fan fictions out there.

[2] Most of the fics out there are Hibiki + Dita centric so I wanted to be different.  Besides, I like Duero and Parfet better than the main protagonists.  They look so cool together, especially in episode 3 (or was that 4?).

[3] This story has nothing to do with Jodi Foster's "Panic Room".  In fact I haven't seen the movie yet.  All I know is that the movie is a suspense thriller.  This story however is a romantic comedy.  I just borrowed the title because it sounded so apt to my plot.

[4] This was supposed to be a one-shot fic but I got lazy.  I hope you will enjoy this chapter even if it is short and hanging.  Please tell me what you think by sending in reviews.  Arigatou, minna-san, in advance.

**DISCLAIMER:**  I do not own Vandread or any of its characters.  This plot is a product of my imagination.  Any similarities to other fan fictions are unintentional.

PANIC ROOM 

By bishounen lovah

Chapter 1: Setting the Trap

"Tell me exactly what happened," Parfet asked as she followed Barnette to the bottom level of Nirvana.  She thought it quite odd that she would miss a system malfunction somewhere in the spaceship even if it was in an unimportant area like the lower deck.

"Anou…I'm not really sure.  I was just passing by, you see, and then I saw the wirings spark behind a loose wall."  Barnette's face lost color from nervousness.  She sneaked a peak at the other woman and thought she saw the wheels in her head turning as she thought for a logical explanation.

"Hmmm…what were you doing down here anyway?"

"Anou…" The Dread pilot's face then turned red.  She searched her brain for the excuse that she'd been practicing for the last hour but none came.  _Damn it, Jura!  Why do you always drag me into your nonsensical whims?!_

"It's really lucky you saw it or else it would go unnoticed," Parfet continued.  It may affect the Paeksis.  I wonder what happened."

Barnette sighed a bubble (anime style) from relief.  The main engineer of Nirvana did not notice anything amiss from her companion's explanation (or lack thereof).  They went on walking in silence except for several mutterings coming from Parfet.  A couple of minutes later they reached the room where the 'malfunction' happened.

"I didn't know there was such a room in the Nirvana," Parfet exclaimed in wonder as she laid her toolbox on the floor beside the loose board.  The room was semi-dark and quite small…much smaller than the men's bedroom.  There were boxes stacked together on one side, which looked like contained old electronic equipments.

Her glasses gleamed in curiosity and excitement.  This place is like a treasure cove to her and can barely wait to explore the contents of the boxes.  But first thing's first.  She has to find that faulty wiring.

"Help me get this thing away."

She and Barnette pried the loose metal board off, exposing the space between the walls.  With that out of the way, Parfet lay on her back and slid towards the gap.  All that was visible was her lower body.

"Could you hand me a light?  It's in my toolbox."

Barnette opened the box and handed Parfet a short tube.  The engineer snapped it in the middle and soon the tube emitted a soft white glow.

"Are you sure this is where you saw that spark, Barnette?  I can't see anything wrong in here.  As a matter of fact, I can't smell anything.  There should be a burnt smell."

"I'm sure this is the place.  Maybe the smell has gone away.  It did take me quite a while to find you."  Barnette nervously played with her fingers, hoping the other woman wouldn't ask too many questions.

"I really don't…hold on.  I just might have something here," Parfet reached up and tried to reach for something.  As soon as she touched it, the 'thing' got loose from its position and fell directly on her forehead.  "Itai!"

~Scene Change~

"Tell me exactly what happened," Duero asked as he followed Jura to the bottom level of Nirvana.  The blond woman came to him in panic telling him that Parfet was sick.  He found it very suspicious because Jura never panicked about anything or anyone other than herself.  But still he is a doctor and could not take any chance to ignore a patient, especially if that patient is Parfet.

He had to admit that among all the women in Nirvana, Parfet was the closest he can call a friend.  She had never stereotyped him into a 'man' like the others nor did she discriminate him.  Instead she had welcomed him as a colleague ever since he had helped save Pyoro.  He had found her interesting at the time and he still does.

"I'm not really sure," Jura replied.  "Barnette and I were just goofing around and then we saw her just lying on the floor.  Barnette's with her now."

His eyes narrowed in suspicion again.  Jura never 'goofed around' in dark, musty places like this.  She always spent her free time in the ship's spa where she attended to her ever-growing vanity.  He knew that she was up to something but didn't know what it was.

His line of thought was broken when he heard Parfet's shout.

"Itai!"

Duero quickly rushed to the room where the voice came from.  He was shocked to see that Jura was right.  Lying on the floor was the groaning engineer.  At least from what he heard it was Parfet for he couldn't see her upper body to be sure if it was really she.

He quickly bent over to pull her out from the hole so he could examine her thoroughly.  He was too intent on the task that he did not notice Barnette and Jura grabbing Parfet's toolbox and tiptoeing outside the room.  Did not notice the door sliding shut behind them.

"Aaaahh!"  Parfet yelled in surprise as she felt her body being dragged across the floor.

"Daijoubu?"

"Doctor," she adjusted her glasses that lay crooked on her nose because of all the commotion.  "What are you doing here?"

"I heard you were hurt so I came here to help you."

"Huh?"  She muttered in confusion as she looked up at the man who was now kneeling beside her.  "That was fast.  What did you do?  Teleport yourself?"

"What are you talking about?  Jura fetched me and told me you were ill."

"Jura?  I haven't seen her since breakfast and I sure wasn't feeling ill back then."

At that moment, both of them looked around to demand an explanation from the Dread pilots but realized that they were alone in the small room.

"Oi, oi!  What's going on here?"  Parfet asked, getting more confused by the second.  She slowly sat up, wincing at the pain she felt on her head.

"The door won't open."  Usually the doors in Nirvana would slide open automatically as soon as it detected movements nearby but this particular door would not.  Duero pressed the red button on the wall beside the door to manually open it but it still would not respond.  "I think were locked in."

"Nani!!!"

To be continued…?


	2. Game Plan

BISHLOV NOTES: 

IT'S ALIVE!!! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!  *lightning and thunder effects*

Fifteen reviews!!!  Wow.  I never expected to get so much.  Arigatou, minna-san.  You guys are the greatest!!!

I am so sorry for not updating sooner.  I am currently suffering from writer's block and creative drainage.  Too many fics to update, too few brain juices left.  Tsk, tsk.  I hope you'll find this chapter satisfactory, if not better compared to the previous one.  I am still laying some groundwork so don't be surprised if nothing seems to happen yet.  The roller coaster ride will probably start in the next chapter.

Btw, this story will probably have four or five chapters in total.  That is, if you wanna know.  Plus the characters may be a little OOC.  I had watched the anime only once and missed several episodes at that so I'm not that familiar with their behaviors.  Another thing…the plot is set after the last episode of the anime.  However, imagine that the fight against Earth is over and that they are now wandering in space.

Don't be shy to tell me what you think.  You can even flame me if you wanna so long as it's constructive.

Enjoy!!!

**DISCLAIMER:**  I do not own Vandread or any of its characters.  This plot is a product of my imagination.  Any similarities to other fan fictions are unintentional.

PANIC ROOM 

By bishounen lovah

Chapter 2: Game Plan

~Scene Change~

"Why exactly are we doing this again?"  Barnette asked Jura as they rushed towards the adjoining room.

"We are performing an experiment that would benefit all womankind."

"Hai, hai…you've said that to me before but what you hadn't explained was how locking Parfet with that man would constitute as a plausible experiment that would benefit all womankind."

"Ezra, Paiwei…are we ready yet?"  Jura asked the two females as soon as they entered the room.  The two were sitting side-by-side using some of the old boxes as desks.

"The camera is in position.  Loading visual input now," Paiwei replied as she tinkered with her keyboard.  A large holographic screen appeared before them showing Parfet and Duero standing in front of the locked door.  "PAI CHECK!"

"Checking audio input now," Ezra countered.

_"Oi…Jura…Barnette!  Open up!"  Parfet yelled and started slamming her palm on the cold metal._

"There's no use shouting.  They wouldn't let us out unless they get what they wanted.  I knew that blond was up to something," Duero said, his knuckle touching his chin in a thoughtful manner.

"Ohohohohoho!"  Jura laughed, causing Barnette to sweatdrop.

_"Can't you bypass the lock?"_

_"That's right!  Duero, you're a genius!  I can…" Parfet stopped in midsentence as she turned back towards the room._

_"What's wrong?"_

_Parfet faced him, a river of tears falling from her glasses.  "They took my precious toolbox.  All of my things are in there."_

_"Hmm.  I guess we'll just have to wait."_

He sat down on the floor and a second later he was joined by the bespectacled woman.  Silence permeated the room as both thought of why they were locked in and how they may get out.

"All right, Jura.  Fess up.  Why are we doing this?"  Barnette demanded again.  "And if you say that crap about benefiting all womankind again I'll…"

"What will benefit all womankind?"

"Meia!"

The three women and Paiwei looked surprised at the Dread lead pilot who was standing at the door.  All of them grinned sheepishly at being caught except for Barnette who was sweatdropping.

"Oi, Meia.  You're just in time.  We were about to start our little but vital experiment," Jura motioned for her to come in.

"How does locking Parfet with Duero constitute as a vital experiment?"  Meia asked, not showing the least bit curiosity.

"Exactly!"  Barnette seconded smugly.

"Remember that video archive Dita found on Christmas Eve?  The one showing a man and woman living in the same house?  Well I want to know the probability of it being possible.  I want to know if it's true or if it was just some kind of ancient special effects."

"So you locked Parfet with Duero?  How long exactly is this experiment gonna take?"  Meia asked, still showing no emotions whatsoever.

"Oh I don't know.  An hour, maybe more.  The whole day if necessary.  We won't let them out until I get satisfied with the results.  Ohohohohoho!"

"Mou," Barnette muttered, "I feel sorry for Parfet.  Why couldn't you at least used Dita and that monkey-man"

"This is an experiment, not a circus performance.  Imagine the chaos if you lock those two together.  that room wouldn't prove sturdy enough for them," Jura smirked at her brilliance as she brushed her golden locks.  "Iie.  Parfet and Duero are the best candidates.  We need rational subject who are capable to approach the situation in a scientific manner.  Besides, I dare not lock Hibiki with Dita and risk Meia's jealousy."

"Nani?"  Meia's right eyebrow raised at that, her eyes flickering dangerously.

"OHOHOHOHOHO!!!"

"I can see movements," Paiwei interrupted the others.

"Ezra, increase audio output," Jura ordered, switching to leader mode.

"Roger," replied the pregnant woman whose feet were now propped on the makeshift desk and her keyboard on top of her large belly.

~Scene Change; Parfet POV~

"Aarggghh!  All of this thinking is making my headache worse," Parfet grumbled as she pulled on her pigtail braids.

"Let me see," Duero said as he moved closer to her.  He lifted her chin up and looked into her eyes in a professional way but still his wandering eyes caused her cheeks to burn.

She watched him bring out his penlight medical instrument and started to poke it around her body.  (AN: All right…maybe not poke.  I just don't want to think of another word that would fit ^_^0)

She had always wondered what it felt like since she never got sick or injured to find out.  Her skin started to tingle under her telltale orange jumpsuit but realized that it had nothing to do with the instrument.  His hand was on her shoulder now but his thumb was unconsciously brushing against the skin on her neck.

"Hmm.  Everything seems to be in order except for that bump on your forehead.  We should really put some ice on it but…"

"A-arigatou.  I'll be okay," she blushingly stammered.  She inched away from him a bit causing him to drop his hand.  For some reason, he was too close for comfort.

"Maybe I should do some more tests when we get out of here.  You look a bit flushed to me," he frowned.

"Iya.  Daijoubu.  Really."  Her cheek reddened some more.  His worried gaze on her was both flattering and disconcerting.

Flattering because she rarely gets attention.  She was too independent so her companions rarely show concern about her.  It gave her a nice feeling…the way he worried about her.

And disconcerting because…well…she doesn't know why but his piercing gaze is making her nervous.  The thing is she trusted this man with her very life.  The men on board had proven their sincerity and a little bit of loyalty time and again.  She knew he wouldn't do anything untoward to her.  It's what's going on in that head of his that's making her fidget.

Several minutes of slightly uncomfortable silence passed.  Parfet noticed him stealing glances at her.  But then she only noticed it because _she_ was stealing glances at him.

An involuntary sigh escaped her lips.  Never before had they had an awkward moment when they were together so what was so different now?

_You were never locked in a room alone with him before,_ came the answer within her.

When she couldn't take the silence anymore, she decided to start a conversation.

"So how do you like staying in Nirvana so far?"

~Duero POV~

He sneaked another peek at the woman sitting a few feet away from him, only this time his eyes clashed with hers.  He quickly looked away and stared at his hands.

His fingers tingled from the warmth of Parfet's body.  The warmth coursed itself from his thumb towards his hand then to the other parts of his body.  As a doctor, he didn't know that such transfer was possible but it did happen.  It wasn't his imagination.

Nor was the feel of her soft skin against his thumb.  What he doesn't understand is that he felt distracted every time his finger brushed against her skin.  By now he had touched and treated many women but none had the same effect as she had with him.  Why is that?

"Doctor?"

"Nani?"  He quickly looked at the woman who was giving him odd looks.

"I asked if you liked staying in Nirvana so far."

"I can't complain," he shrugged, "after all, I am a prisoner."

"Mou.  I think you've stopped being a prisoner for a long time now, Doctor."

"Hn.  Perhaps you're right.  It's just that not all women make us feel welcomed.  Some are still prejudiced against us," Duero said as he leaned against the cold steel wall.

"You just have to be patient, I guess.  It's hard to adapt to something that's been taught to our society as evil."

His heart skipped a bit when she smiled at him to rub the sting off her words.  He realized all over again how different this woman is from the others.  "You seem to have adapted nicely to us."

"That's because I'm different," she echoed his thoughts.  "I don't believe in prejudice.  I don't judge anything until I know how they work.  It's sort of like your doctor's etiquette.  You treat your patients fairly.  It doesn't matter if it's a man, woman or machine.  So long as they're sick, you make them better."

"Besides," she said after a brief pause, "sometimes I feel like I am not a woman."

Duero looked at her curiously.  There was something in her voice that hinted loneliness.

"I never had any desire to mingle and gossip around like the others do.  I rarely spend time in improving or maintaining my looks.  All I always want is to make and fix things.  Heck, sometimes I even think that if it wasn't for my long hair I wouldn't look like a woman."

He raised an eyebrow at that making her laugh in apology.  His heart skipped again at the gleeful sound.

"Gomen ne.  I didn't mean that you look like a woman because of your hair.  It's just that I am not as beautiful or sexy as most of my comrades.  Perhaps that is why I do not believe in prejudice.  I know how much it hurts to be judged even if the I am the one who is judging myself."

Silence permeated the room.  This was the first time he saw Parfet show any kind of insecurity.  She was always so sure of herself and was always friendly to him and the others.  Insecurity doesn't suit her well, he decided.

"Iya.  Looks don't matter.  I think you are a great person.  You may not like the things that the other women do but who said that they're the essence of being a woman.  You are kind to everyone and everything…always doing something to make the people around you smile.  You are different…special."

"Honto ni?  Do you really think so?"

"Aa."  He felt his cheek burn slightly at what he had said although he had meant ever word.

"Arigatou, Doctor."

"Duero."

"Eh?"

"My name is Duero.  You always call me Doctor but I would prefer it if you called me by my name."

"Gomen ne.  I didn't mean to offend you.  It's just that it didn't feel right to call you by your name without permission."

"Well now you have my permission."

"Okay, _Duero_."

And for some reason, his name passing through her lips sounded so right.

To be continued…

**BISHLOV:**  It's 2:02 AM so I am so sorry if you think that this chapter sucked (especially the last part).  I am so @_@ already.  Oh well, please don't forget to review minna.


	3. Subzero

**DISCLAIMER:**  I do not own Vandread or any of its characters.  This plot is a product of my imagination.  Any similarities to other fan fictions are unintentional.

PANIC ROOM 

By bishounen lovah

Chapter 3:  Subzero

Barnette stifled another yawn.  She was bored beyond comparison and it seems like her companions were bored as well.  Paiwei was playing (and yes talking) to her frog puppet, making 'kero-kero' sounds all the time.  The keyboard on Ezra's bloated belly was replaced by a plate of Tabasco dripping chocolate cake (yech!), which she conjured from out of nowhere.  Meia, on the other hand, resorted to polishing that bizarre face accessory of hers.

_Why does she wear that anyway?  It doesn't look like it serves any purpose.  But I have to admit it looks good on her_, the green haired woman thought.

As for Jura…well, the annoying blond was busy buffing her nails (again!).  It just goes to show how little bearing this experiment has even to their acting 'leader'.

Barnette reverted her attention back to the holographic screen.  Almost thirty minutes had already passed since they locked Parfet and Duero in that room.  After their slightly interesting conversation about Parfet's insecurities earlier, the two became quiet with occasional sighs (coming from Parfet) and 'daijoubus' (coming from Duero) breaking the silence.  There were times when that man-doctor would quit taking inconspicuous peeks at Parfet and would open his mouth as if to start a conversation but would quickly change his mind and eventually goes back to sneaking peeks.

Parfet was no better.  This was the first time Barnette ever saw her at a loss for words.  The pigtailed engineer always had something to say even if it was something about how to fix a clogged bathroom.  Watching her now as she traced circles on the floor, the Dread pilot can't help but wonder where Parfet's wit has gone to.

_Perhaps I had been too judgmental of this experiment_, Barnette told herself.  _There must be something about being locked in a room with a man.  Perhaps his dumbness is rubbing onto Parfet.  Oh my god!_

An involuntary shiver ran through her body.  She knew that men carried contagious diseases.  _Had they unwittingly caused the contamination of one of their friends?_

Barnette was about to demand that Parfet be released when someone appeared behind her.

"Has anything happened yet?"

"BC!"  Barnette screeched their superior's name in surprise.  A large sweatdrop appeared on her head as she tried to calm her racing heart.  "Don't scare me like that.  How did you know where to find us?"

The other woman just shrugged her answer and nodded her greeting to the others.

"Is everything in order?"  BC asked again.

"Everything is going as planned," Jura beamed back.

"Unfortunately, her brilliant plan consists of just locking those two in.  This is as dull as watching Dita chase Hibiki," Meia said.

"Ohohohohoho.  Is that jealousy I smell?"  Jura teased.  The lead Dread pilot responded by pointing her ring at the blond.  "Ayah!  Can't you take a joke?"

"That's enough," BC intercepted the fight that was starting to brew and focused their attention back to the project at hand.  "What we need here is to add a variant factor.  See if the environmental change would affect their behavior."

"How would you do that," Barnette asked, her unsaid protest instantly forgotten.

"Ezra," BC automatically reverted to her sub-okashira mode, "isolate the thermal system of that room and gradually decrease the temperature."

"Hai, hai!"  Ezra muffled, her mouth half full of muffins and pickles.

~Scene Change~

"What was that?"  Duero asked as a loud hum was heard from the small vent.

"It sounds like the AC was turned on," Parfet replied.  Sure enough, the room started to cool down.  "What the heck are they up to?  If I didn't know better I'd say they're performing a sick experiment on us.  That or an April Fool's Day trick."

"April Fool's Day?"

"Yare yare.  Don't tell me you haven't heard of April Fool's Day too."

The blank look on Duero's face was all the answer she needed.  _Men!  Don't they have any fun on that planet of theirs_, Parfet sighed a bubble (anime style).

"April Fool's Day is a holiday held on the first day of April.  It's the day when people trick each other and play practical jokes."

"I see," he replied with his curled fingers cupping his chin in that thoughtful manner of his.  "In that case I don't think this is an April Fool's Day trick."

"How can you tell?"

"It's February."

"Oh," she sweatdropped.  "Hehehe.  That's right.  I forgot."

They fell into silence again, neither one of them knew what to say.  There was also this charged tension among them that tempts them to look at each other even if they try hard to refrain from doing so.  _Had the others manipulated the magnetic field or any other physical properties of this room too_, they both thought.

Parfet was starting to shiver.  The room temperature was dropping fast.  She was starting to see her breath in front of her.  Her jumpsuit was not designed to withstand cold temperature.

Another violent shiver shook her body.  She was too busy trying to rub some heat to her body that she did not notice Duero moving beside her.

"Nani?"  She exclaimed in surprise when she realized he was sitting close to her.

Duero shrugged his right arm from the sleeve of his trench coat then moved closer to the blushing woman.  "Put your arm in the sleeve."

When Parfet just stared at him, he proceeded to explain.  "You're shivering.  You might get hypothermic.  For that matter, so might I.  The only logical thing to do is to share our body heat.  It's best if we sit close together to do that."

She did as he told and slid her right arm in the long sleeve even though her blush was already warming her face.  The warmth spread throughout her entire body when his free arm went around her waist and pulled her closer to him.  His other hand reached for the edge of his coat and tried to close it around their bodies.

It's an impossible task since the coat was not wide enough to close around them.  So Parfet did the unexpected.  She moved closer to Duero (if it was still possible) and wrapped her left arm around his waist.  She was sitting on her side with her head slightly resting on his chest.

And so the coat was buttoned, enclosing the flushed faced couple with comfortable warmth.

"Don't you have any holidays on your planet?"  Parfet decided that a conversation is what she needed in order to distract herself from their closeness.

"None that could compare to yours.  The holidays that we have back there are usually the birthdays of our leaders.  There's just an assembly to salute the leader and if we get lucky we get to have free drinks afterwards."

"Sounds boring."

"Aa," he replied as he rubbed his hand up and down the woman's back to facilitate blood flow for more warmth.

An involuntary shiver shook Parfet's body once again but this time it had nothing to do with the cold temperature.  His touch seems to be the perpetrator.  But he didn't know that so he moved her closer again, deciding against placing her on his lap.

Maybe it was the chilly air.  Maybe it was the comfortable warmth.  Maybe it was because of the mesmerizing rise and fall of his chest against the side of her face.  Or maybe it was the combination of all of those that's making Parfet very drowsy.  She was having trouble keeping her eyes open.

Duero shook her shoulder with his left hand to keep her awake.  "Don't go to sleep.  It's dangerous."

"I know.  But I can't help it," she replied with a big yawn.

"Then talk to me."

"About what?"

"Anything."

"Hmm.  Let's see…do you have any friends back home?"

"We don't have friends.  We have comrades.  Besides, I don't think of it as home anymore."

"Nani?"  She lifted her head from his chest to look at his serious face.  "Doushite?"

"For some reason, Nirvana seems more like home to me than my planet has ever been.  It is here that I have friends."

"Honto?  To whom are you referring to?"

"Well, of course, Hibiki and Bart.  Then there's Dita, Pai and Ezra.  I also consider BC as a friend.  Even Jura and Barnette although I might kill them when we get out of here.  There's something about fighting together against a common enemy that brings people, may it be a man or a woman, together.  And last but definitely not the least there's you, Parfet-chan."

"Me?" she said in an almost breathless voice.

"Aa.  I consider you as my best friend because you were the first one who befriended me and accepted me for who I really am."  He had the grace of blushing at his confession although he kept her eyes on her face.  His right brow rose when she giggled.  "You find my confession funny?"

"Iya!  Gomen ne.  I wasn't laughing at you.  It's just that my glasses are fogging up."

"Then why don't you take them off?"

"But if I did I wouldn't be able to see your face clearly," she said with another blush.  To hide her embarrassment she reached out to brush his bangs away from the side of his face.  "Why do you hide your face?"

"For no reason at all."

"You shouldn't, you know.  You have a beautiful face," the words slipped out of her lips before she could stop them.

"And you shouldn't wear those glasses.  They hide your beautiful eyes," Duero quickly removed the frames and was instantly drawn to her eyes.

 "A-arigatou demo I don't have any choice but to wear them."

"You could wear contact lenses or if you want I could do some corrective eye surgery."

"Iie.  It would be too troublesome," she took the glasses from him and slid them on her face again.  "Besides, my glasses are part of who I am.  A sort of artificial body part."

"Aa.  I guess you are right."  Duero noticed that she was shivering again (and this time it's because of the temperature) so he gave in to his initial intuition and lifted her to place her on his lap.  This brought their bodies closer.  He wrapped his arms around her with his right arm on her waist inside the coat and the left one outside.  He placed his chin over her head and savored what was left of their body heat.

Parfet was initially shocked but then let her body relax against his.  The temperature was still going down and it was only logical to share their body heat as best as they could.  They fell into silence again but this time it was a comfortable one.

It was several minutes before she spoke again.

"Duero."

"Hai."

"You're my best friend too."

To be continued…

**BISHLOV NOTES:**

[1] I blabbed in the last part didn't I?  Sorry but I am so sleepy.  God, I need a toma session just so I could rehydrate my dried brain with something.

[2] Arigatou to all of those who reviewed chapter 2.  I was expecting at least 30 reviews in total since I got 15 in the first one.  You know, multiply it by two if the reviewers in chapter 1 reviewed in chapter 2 too.  Oh well…ganyan talaga ang buhay (that's life).

[3] Mushy stuff (and probably some mild hentai ones too) will be in chapter 4 so watch out for it.

[4] Did anyone notice that I forgot the name of the men's planet?  My hat is off (if ever I'm wearing one right now) to those who did.  But then I also forgot what the women's planet is called too ^_^0.  Someone please refresh my memory.  I'm too lazy to search the net.

[5] Please click that button down there and drop me a review.  PLEASE!!!


	4. Turn Up the Heat

**BISHLOV NOTES:**

[1] Arigatou, minna, for all of your reviews.  I hope you didn't mind me sending out emails.  I just wanted to show how much I deeply appreciate your comments and suggestions.  To those who didn't receive one from me, I'm so sorry.  The only reason is that you either didn't leave your address (for anonymous reviewers) or you had it hidden (for those with author accounts).  Nevertheless, your reviews are equally valued.

[2] About the ANs placed within the story, many people thought I shouldn't place any so I edited the last chapter and removed them.  Sorry about those.  Force of habit.  My CCS readers and I get a kick out of them so I thought you guys wouldn't mind too.  My fault…should have realized that I'm catering to a different group of readers.  I'll refrain from putting any in the next chapters.

[3] Due to the multitude of requests and pleas, there will be no hentai scenes in this fic.  At least I'll try my best to keep them out.  No promises though.  It's hard to put a leash to my hentai mind.  For those who are as hentai as I am, better luck next fic folks.  The majority always wins.

[4] I know I am a bit greedy about the reviews but, again, it's out of force of habit.  I love getting reviews even if they're flames (although those type of reviews are just pointed and laughed at).  It's the only way I'll know if I'm getting better or worse.  So please don't hold back on me nor get angry with me for being too greedy.  Your reviews are the only things that push me to go on.  They are my inspiration.  Yech!  Talk about sap.  But I meant every word.

[5] Am I blabbering too much?  Okay, I'll shut up in a second.  I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you (hopefully) enjoyed the previous one.  Btw, **TheArchimage**, I'm a Filipino and those were tagalog words.  All right then…ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU & JA NE!

**DISCLAIMER:**  I do not own Vandread or any of its characters.  This plot is a product of my imagination.  Any similarities to other fan fictions are unintentional.

PANIC ROOM

By bishounen lovah

Chapter 4:  Turn up the heat

Jura, Barnette, Ezra and Paiwei were huddled close together, trying hard not to cry although their quivering mouths were giving away their emotional state.  BC and Meia were standing a few feet away from the others, trying hard to act nonchalant.

But the truth was, Duero's confession had touched them all.  He considers them as his friends even though they treated him with prejudice and, yes, sometimes with scorn.  It was now that they realized how shamefully they acted, judging him before they could get to know him.

Among all of the men they interacted with, and by this time there had been a lot of them, the women could honestly say that Duero is the most decent of them all.

All of them sighed a dreamy sigh as they watched him pick Parfet up and gently place her on his lap.  He hugged her closer to his body, his lips brushing against her mussed hair before propping his chin on her head.  Even after the two fell into silence…after Parfet's profession of friendship to Duero, the five women and Paiwei watched on in silence with melancholy looks on their faces.

Though they would never admit it out loud, they were envious of the bespectacled woman.  They had never seen such look of contentment on any woman before.  Was it because of their physical closeness?  Or was it because of their newly formed bond?

Whatever it was, it definitely has got something to do with that man.

"I never knew that men could be so…so…" Jura was the first to break the silence.

"Romantic," Barnette unconsciously replied with a sigh.  When she realized that she had spoken aloud, she sat up straight and tried to recover her man-hater image.  "What I meant was…"

"Ah, Barnette, I knew you had it in you," Jura teased.  "So you think men are romantic, ne?  I'm pretty sure Parfet wouldn't mind sharing Duero.  I'd suggest Hibiki but he already has Dita and Meia after him.  And I wouldn't try on hitting on Bart, you wouldn't want BC to get jealous."

"NANI!!!"  Barnette, Meia and BC shouted in unison.

"I do not like men," the green haired Dread pilot managed to yell before the other two women.  "They're disgusting little pigs.  Besides, there's only one person I like and she's too much of an airhead to realize it."

"Oh, really?  And who might that person be?"

Barnette, Meia, BC, Paiwei and even her frog puppet sweatdropped.  Ezra was too preoccupied eating a hot fudge sundae (topped with tempura bits) to follow the argument.

"Never mind," Barnette sent the blond an irritated look before sighing an exasperated bubble.

"Ano," Paiwei spoke up after a while and pointed to the screen.  "They haven't moved or talked for quite a while now."

"The room temperature had been subzero for some time now.  Do you suppose they turned into a Popsicle already," Meia piped in.

"Mmm…Popsicles," said a certain bloated woman to herself.

"BC."  A small holographic screen appeared beside the larger one.  Everyone was surprised except for the silver haired woman.

"Hai, Okashira," BC acknowledged the boss.

"Yare yare," Barnette sweatdropped and turned to Jura.  "What did you do?  Post an advertisement on the mess hall's bulletin board?  How the heck did she find us here?"

The boss laughed at their surprised looks before proceeding to answer the pilot's question.  "Nirvana is my ship.  There is nothing that I don't know about it, especially when there's an unauthorized experiment going on."

"Ayah!  I knew I forgot something!"

Everybody collectively sweatdropped at Jura again, including Ezra and the boss.

"Baka," Barnette muttered.

"BC," the boss spoke a second later.  "This experiment is taking too long."

"What do you have in mind, Okashira?"

"Start the temperature change again.  Raise the thermostat.  Slowly though.  I don't want my best engineer and doctor to get sick."

"Duero _is_ the only doctor in this ship."  Barnette refused to accept the boss' compliment for the man.

"All the more reason why you should be more careful," the old woman replied before signing off.

"Ezra, you heard the boss.  Raise the temperature a centigrade higher every 1.5 minute."

~Scene Change~

Duero had to try his best to not give in to his shivers.  He needs to be stronger not only for his sake but also for Parfet's.  Her small frame was slightly shaking from the cold even though he knew she was trying not to.  She kept on snuggling closer to him as both of their body temperature drop.  Her head was now burrowed deeply in the coat they were sharing with only the crown of her head visible.

_Darn those women_, he cursed silently yet again.  _I should have kicked the door down earlier when I still had my strength._

_Yeah right!  As if you could do it_, a voice inside his head retorted back.  _You would have just ended up locked in this room with a broken foot.  What good would that do for Parfet._

Something caught his attention.  He heard Parfet give out another sigh, only this time it sounded different from the others.

"Parfet," he shook her shoulder lightly then harder the second time.  "Parfet!"

He reached inside the coat and tipped her face to his.  What he saw shocked him.  Her ashen face was all scrunched up due to the pain of breathing cold air.  Her eyes, now without the glasses, were tightly closed.  But it was her lips that got his attention.

Her soft red lips were now compressed tightly, the skin chapping and were starting to turn into a startling shade of blue.

"Parfet!  Wake up!"  This time he lightly slapped her cheeks to give some color to them.  She briefly opened her eyes and looked blindingly at Duero's face.  She sighed yet again, blowing a white mist of cold air on his face.

_You have to do something_, he told himself.  Her lips, now slightly parted, still held that frightening bluish tinge.  Without any hesitation, he pressed his lips on hers and willed what was left of his body heat to transfer to her.

A part of his brain told him that it was a silly thing to do.  That no such heat transfusion is possible.  But his heart joined forces with the rest of his mind.  It may not be the most logical thing to do but it was the only thing he could do right now.

His right hand that's hidden in the coat left its place from her waist and buried itself in her hair.  He held her head in place as he coated her lips with a thin layer of his warm saliva.  He massaged her lips through nibbling in order to facilitate blood flow.

It wasn't long before he felt her mouth move beneath his.  It was fast turning into a full-blown kiss.  His hand buried itself deeper in her hair while his other arm gripped her closer to him.  Her hands, on the other hand, were clutching on his shirt and shoulder, needing more of his warmth…craving more of his kiss.

Parfet's lips parted some more in invitation and Duero accepted by slipping his tongue inside.  Both of them have never done this before but for some reason they knew what to do.  Instinct was teaching them how to move their lips against each other, what position their head should be to gain better access of each other's mouths, and how to flicker their tongues to give their partner great pleasure.

By the time they separated for some air, both were considerably warm from the excessive amount of blood their fast beating hearts were pumping to all parts of their bodies.  They blushed furiously even as they looked deep into each other's eyes, although Duero's was more concealed due to his bronze skin tone.

"Daijoubu?"

Her eyes were drawn to the sudden movements of his lips.  She was tempted to raise her hand and touch his hard yet gentle lips but of course was too shy to give in.  Instead she rested her head on his chest again and closed her eyes to replay what had happened in her still fuzzy mind.

She felt his lips brush against her forehead after which he gently pressed his cheek on her forehead where he had placed the chaste kiss.

"Aishiteru, Parfet."

To be continued…

**BISHLOV:**  *evil grin* interesting cliffhanger, ne?  I know I said that this story will be five chapters long but since this part turned out longer than expected, I have to cut it at that and continue in the next chapter.  So instead of five I'm aiming for six chapters.  Hope you don't mind.

COMING NEXT IN 'PANIC ROOM'

Parfet's response to Duero's confession.

Heat wave!

Discarded clothes.

Tumbling boxes.

Unveiling of age-old secrets and mysteries.

More evil grins from me.


	5. Some Like It Hot!

**Disclaimer:**  I do not own Vandread or any of its characters.  This plot is a product of my imagination.  Any similarities to other fan fictions are unintentional.  I also do not own the song that's included in this chapter.  "If I believed", which was sung by Patti Austin, rightfully belongs to those whoever own it.

Panic Room 

By bishounen lovah

Chapter 5:  Some Like It Hot!

If I believed in paradise I'd swear I must be there. 

**_I'd swear I must be there right now with you._**

**_If I believed in miracles, I'd know that one is happening to me._**

_Aishiteru, Parfet._

The words resonated in her mind again and again.  So much, in fact, that she could no longer distinguish if they were real or just plain wishful thinking.  But one look at his serious face (more serious than usual, that is) told her that it wasn't her imagination.

Duero had just professed his love for her.

_Does he mean it or is this his idea of a sick joke?_

Again she got her answer from his face.  Even in the soft glow that her light tube was emitting, she could see the nervous flicker of his eyes.  Aside from that, she took notice on how his body was slowly stiffening and how he unconsciously held his breath as he waited for her response.

_Yes, this is definitely real._

**_But if I don't believe in paradise_**

**_And miracles aren't real._**

Will someone tell me what is this I feel? 

But like some kind of chain reaction, one doubt omitted by certainty leads to more questions.

_Do I love him?_

Maybe.  Then again, maybe not for who could really say what love really is?  Love is not an alien concept to her.  She loves her job, her friends and even her machines.

But loving a man is different.  She has nothing against him because he's a man.  It's just that no woman from Mejer had ever fallen in love with a man from Taraak.

_Is it possible?_

Again, maybe, maybe not.  Parfet felt like she's venturing into unchartered space.  It was terrifying…and exciting.  She knew that her lack of answer was disappointing Duero.  But this was a matter that's not to be treated lightly.  One wrong step and she might fall in an abyss of emptiness.

**_You wanna believe it's love this time._**

**_I wanna believe my heart's not telling me a lie._**

**_But with you I can't deny,_**

**_If I believed in paradise I'd swear I'm there._**

She raised a hand to touch his now averted face and tipped it back closer to hers so she could see his every expression even without her glasses.  She took them off earlier because the wire rims were conducting the cold to her face.  Her brown eyes, she knew, held the confusion and fear that she felt.  She did not want to lose her best friend over this matter nor does she want to leave it unresolved.

"How can you be sure that it is love that you feel for me?"

She saw from his facial expression that he was debating with himself.  A couple of minutes of tense silence passed before he finally spoke up.

"Actually, I'm not sure if it's really love."

Parfet almost dropped on the floor (anime style) from disbelief and disappointment had it not been for his arms holding her close to him.  Perhaps he had just been caught in the aftermath of their kiss and thought that saying those words, though not heartfelt, would be appropriate.

**_If I believed in magic spells it all would be so clear._**

**_A magic spell must have brought you here._**

**_If I could see the future I'd see if you and I were meant to be._**

There were two things bothering her mind right now.  If he did not meant saying 'I love you', how come he was nervously waiting for her answer?  And if she did not love him, how come her heart felt very heavy?

She had to know the truth.

"If you didn't know for sure then why did you say such a thing?"

"Because it just popped out of my mouth.  I'm sorry.  I'm not baiting you or anything.  It's just that I've never been in love before.  I've been analyzing how I feel towards you for a long time and I can't find a logical reason for them.  And since it's illogical then it must be love that I'm feeling."

Trust a man to say such a thing but Parfet didn't mind.  In fact, a part of her seems to understand his theory.  Love is such a dynamic and variable concept that it can be considered as illogical.  She wanted to know more…to grasp his line of thoughts.

"How do _you_ feel towards me?"

But I don't know any magic 

**_And tomorrow's just a dream._**

**_But something in this fantasy is real._**

Again, there was that look on his face as though deciding if he should answer her and what he should say to her.  After a while, he had this faraway look as if he retreated in his own world in order to find the right words.

"It's weird really.  Each morning I wake up and find myself feeling good because I know that I'd be able to bump into you somewhere and be able to spend some time with you.  When we're together, I feel even better.  I enjoy all our conversations and I never fail to feel reluctant whenever we have to part ways.  At night before falling asleep, all I can see are your smiles and wonder how your laughter affect the rhythm of my heart."

Duero turned his head back to face her and looked deeply into her eyes.  "So that's how I feel.  I don't know if it's love but I'm pretty sure that it is.  I'm not making any sense, am I?"

She just stared back at him with glossy eyes, having difficulty that she was with breathing.  It was as if he read her memories for those were her exact experiences when it comes to him.  Well, except for the laughter part since she never even heard him laugh.

"Actually you _are_ making sense.  If it's really love that you feel then I suppose I'm in love with you too because I feel the same way."

His eyes turned a shade darker at her confession.  The look that he sent her brought a fiery blush on her cheeks, sent shivers down her spine and made her toes curl in her boots.

Yes, this is love.  Only love can make a person feel this way.  It's a warm feeling that spreads all throughout the body, making the heart fill up and feel like it's about to burst with happiness.

_I love him and he loves me back._

The thought was making her dizzy.  Either that or the fact that he was now swooping down to catch her lips with his.

~Scene Change~

"Eww!  They're at it again!"

But even though Barnette yelled those words she couldn't quite tear her eyes off the screen.  The others were having the same difficulty although Jura managed to cover Paiwei's eyes with her hands in order to block the girl's vision from the passionate lip lock.

_Parfet kissed a man!  Twice!  And they're still at it!_

Barnette was fully convinced that they had now signed their friend's death certificate.  Duero may be a decent man but a man nonetheless.  Who knows what kind of disease the pigtailed engineer had contracted from him by now.

Once the kiss was over and the pair had resumed to just holding each other, the five women and Paiwei gave a collective sigh.  It was a sigh of relief as well as disappointment and longing.  The sigh of relief came from Barnette because she couldn't quite stand the unthinkable act anymore while the sigh of disappointment came from Pai since she didn't get to see the action.

And though they would never admit it out loud BC, Meia and Jura were curious on what it feels like to be kissed that way by a man.  From the looks of Parfet's blush and smiles (albeit timid), it seem as though the kiss was a pleasant experience.  No, pleasant seems like an understatement.  They couldn't put a finger on the right word, which made them all the more curious.

"That was, er, interesting," Jura spoke up after a while.  She didn't want to comment aloud that their little experiment was going quite well since she doesn't know if what had just happened was actually a good thing.

"Hn.  By the way, Meia," BC said, "that was a nice song you provided.  Where did you get it?"

"It was a gift from my Homme.  It's from her collection of musical relics.  I doubt if those two heard it though.  They seem to have a world of their own," Meia nodded towards the holograph.

"I believe you're right or else Parfet would have found the hidden transmitter and speakers by now.  Ezra, where are we now?"

"We just passed room temperature."

"Right.  Don't make it too hot in there.  We don't want them passing out.  Paiwei, change the position of the camera to a better vantage point."

"Hai!"  The girl conjured a virtual eye gear and RC out of nowhere.  The video set was actually a birthday gift from Parfet.  The camera was shaped into a small frog and can leap around like one too.  It was so Paiwei could spy on the Nirvana crew without even having to leave the sick bay.  And now she was using the instrument on the person who gave it to her.  It was a sick thing to do and would have bothered her conscience if ever she had one.

~Scene Change~

"What was that?"  Parfet sat up straighter.

"What was what?"

"I thought I heard something move among the boxes."

"I didn't hear anything."  Duero strained his ears but the sound that his best friend/girlfriend heard did not repeat itself.

"Hn.  Must be my imagination."

Their gazes met and locked again.  Her face started burning up again from the intense looks he was giving her.

"Anou…is it just me or is it getting hotter in here," she said as she felt a trickle of sweat slide down her back.

"Come to think of it, the whole room seems to have warm up.  I thought it was just…" he broke off as he flushed.

"Nani?" she prompted softly, curious at to what had made him blush.

"Um, well, I just thought that, ah, that the warmth has something to do with us being, er, close like this."

She would have been amused if she weren't too surprised.  Duero had never stumbled on words before.  It was quite endearing actually.  She would have been content on just gazing at his beautifully chiseled face had she not found the rising temperature uncomfortable.

"It's getting hotter by the minute," she wiped her brows with the cuff of Duero's coat sleeve.  Much as she was reluctant to separate from him, she couldn't quite stand the heat anymore.

So they shrugged out of the trench coat they were sharing and moved a few feet away from each other.  Duero was now stripped to just his pants and black tank top and tossed his coat on top of the boxes.  Parfet followed suit and removed the top of her jumpsuit, tied its sleeves around her waist and slipped her glasses on.

She sighed in relief as she felt the air brush against her hot skin.  It was a good thing she had on a skimpy black halter-top that stopped around her midriff and left her shoulders and back bare.

_Perhaps it's too skimpy_, she nervously thought when she saw Duero looking at her hotly.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Nothing," he replied as he walked towards her.  "I was just thinking how sexy you look."

"Love is blinding your vision and insights," she protested although couldn't help but feel thrilled at his words.

"Probably.  But for me there is no woman more beautiful and sexy than you in the whole universe."

He reached her and placed his hands on her tiny waist and slowly slid to her back to pull her closer.  She almost jumped from shock as he felt electricity course across her skin.  Though it was very warm, she could feel her goose bumps rise in reaction to his touch.

_He called me beautiful.  And sexy._

And from the way he kept on staring at her with half lidded eyes, she felt like such.  The last thing she thought about before his lips touched hers was how lucky she really was to have met and fallen in love with Duero.

Pleasant shivers ran up and down her spine as his mouth moved over hers.  She never thought that a kiss could be such.  She could see thousands of stars behind her tightly closed lids and could feel the adrenaline rushing to her brain.

She let out a breathless sigh and slid her hands up his firm biceps when he nibbled her lower lip.  She would have fallen down, since her knees suddenly felt very weak, had she not been able to lock her hands behind his neck in time.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

At first she thought it was her heart beating hard against her ribcage but as the sound progressed she realized it wasn't so.  It was the sound that she had heard earlier.

"There it goes again."

"Huh?" replied a slightly disoriented Duero.

"Didn't you hear it?  I think it came from behind the boxes."  She crouched on the floor and crawled around in order to get a better look to where the sound came from.

Thump!

"Parfet, watch out!"

She looked up just in time to see the boxes falling down on her.

To be continued…

**Glossary** (in order of appearance starting from chapter 1):

Anou – er; um; well

Itai – exclamation of pain; ouch

Daijoubu – 'Are you all right' (when asked in question); 'I'm all right' or 'It's all right' (when stated)

Oy – hey

Nani – what

Hai/Aa – yes

Mou – exclamation of exasperation

Arigatou – informal 'thank you'

Iya/Iie – no

Honto ni? – Really?

Gomen ne – informal 'I'm sorry'

Okashira – leader; boss

Yare yare – good grief

Ne? – Right?

Baka – idiot; stupid

Aishiteru – I love you

**Bishlov's notes:**

[1] Ohohohoho!  Fooled you didn't I?  I told you I won't put in hentai scenes.  And I didn't lie to you.  There _were_ some discarded clothes and tumbling boxes, weren't there?  They're just not related to each other hehehe.  Btw, the part about the 'unveiling of age-old secrets and mysteries' would come in the next chapter.  This one got too long.  And if you're looking for my evil grin, you must have missed it when you read that cliffhanger hehehe.

[2] Regarding the song, some of you might have been wondering why I chose such an old one.  If I remember it correctly, in the episode that tackled Meia's past (you know, the part where she almost died) they featured an oldie called 'What a Wonderful World (or was it just 'Wonderful World'?).  Anyways, that's why I chose an oldie too.  Took me a week to find an apt song.  Btw, did I get the 'Homme' part right?  I'm sure that the other female parent in Mejer is Femme although I'm not that sure about this one.

[3] Thank you to all of you who reviewed.  Special thanks to those who contributed such useful information that I missed or gotten wrong like the name of the planets (TheArchimage, dementedchris, Ayce Shade, Jacob and Byakko) and Parfet's eye color (JadOo).  And about the Japanese words, I got your point Avarice.  Sorry to those who are not familiar with such words.  I placed the glossary for your convenience and I would try very hard not to use them.  I won't make any promises though since I type anything that comes first to my head.

[4] ME WANNA SEE THE SECOND STAGE!!!  Dang!  Wish AXN would show it.


	6. The Escape

**DISCLAIMER:**  I do not own Vandread or any of its characters.  This plot is a product of my imagination.  Any similarities to other fan fictions are unintentional.

**PANIC ROOM**

By bishounen lovah

Chapter 6:  The Escape

All five women and Paiwei held their breaths as they watched Parfet peer among the boxes.  The noises made by Paiwei's frog camera caught the engineer's attention.  They were worried that she'd find the video cam and audio transmitter that were hidden behind the stacked boxes.  And she'll find it all right if they didn't do something for Parfet was innately stubborn and curious.

It was a lethal combination.  Curiosity always killed the cat.  It was such an apt cliché.

"Paiwei!"

Meia's shout jolted the girl into action.  Parfet's face was only a few inches away from the frog.  Pai's sudden hand movement caused the mechanical thingy to leap high.

"Paiwei!"

This time it was BC who shouted.  The frog slammed into a box causing it to rock back and forth.  All of them sighed a mushroom bubble of relief when the stack of boxes stopped moving.  But then something else happened.  Duero's trench coat, which he placed on top of one of the boxes, slid from its position and caused a chain reaction of tumbling boxes.

The last thing they saw was Parfet shielding herself with a raised arm.

"What happened?"

"I can't move the video cam!"

"Is Parfet alright?"

"The transmitter is knocked off too!"

"Dang!  I broke a nail!"

Only BC stayed calm amongst them.  "Ezra, Paiwei, report."

"Audio transmission was disrupted.  It would take me several minutes to find the frequency and restore it."  The pregnant woman barely looked up from her small holographic screen.

"Visual input is negative.  I think the camera is stuck under Duero's coat."  Paiwei moved her hands in various motions until her virtua eye gear and RC started sparking.  She quickly threw them away with a little help from Barnette.

"I think the frog is fried," the Dread pilot said.  "Might take a while to cool down."

"It must have been one heavy coat," Jura sweatdropped.

"What do we do now?"  Meia piped in.

"We wait."  BC replied and stared expectantly at the blank holographic screen.

~Scene Change~

Duero frantically threw one heavy box after the other searching for Parfet.  His only clue to her position was her faint groaning.  He followed it like some kind of beacon.

"Parfet!  Are you okay?"  Duero quickly asked as soon as he 'unearthed' her.  She didn't look so good with her eyes twirling like @.@ behind her glasses.

"I'm confused," she faintly replied as she clutched her head.

_Had she suffered amnesia?_

"The alignment of stars indicated that today is my lucky day but it seems I keep running into accidents"

_Is that all?  And I thought she hit her head too hard_, he sighed in relief and gave in to the temptation of giving her a hard, reassuring (for him, that is) kiss.  And like all their other kisses, this one turned out longer and much more satisfying (if it were possible) than anticipated.

"Then again maybe the stars are right," she sighed against his cheek afterwards.

"Let me check you for injuries."  He brought out his penlight medical thingy and let it hover above her body, all the while trying to keep his hands to himself.  "Everything seems to be, uh, in order."

"I could have told you that but I suppose you'd want to check for yourself."

"Can you move?"  He helped her sit up in a more upright position, slowly so as not to aggravate any pain.  "What do you suppose caused the boxes to fall?"

"I'm not sure but it was extremely mobile.  It moved so fast."

"Maybe we should look for it before it causes any more mishap.  I have a suspicion that whatever it was has got something to do with us being locked in here."

They started browsing among the junk littered all over the small room. Most of them were old circuit boards, motherboards and other electronic gadgets.  It was like looking for a needle in a haystack since they had no idea what they were looking for.

But then something caught Parfet's attention.  Hidden at the corner of the room behind all of those boxes was a beautiful antique (very antique) wooden chest with a rectangular golden plate attached above the keyhole.  With a finger, she traced the primitive cursive word that's etched on it.

"Memories."  Being the elite that he is, Duero was capable of reading ancient earth handwriting.

"Memories?"  She whispered back, awed at his talent and very curious as to what was hidden inside.  She lifted the lid, glad that the chest wasn't locked.

The first thing they saw was a small ivory box pillowed on a white satin clothe.  Duero took and opened it.  In one compartment was a gold necklace adorned by a locket while in the other one was a tiny porcelain figurine of a man and woman in a dancing pose.

"It's exquisite."

"Aa," he replied as he gave both necklace and figurine to Parfet.  He went on checking the box and found that pushing them away like trays can separate the compartments.  Inside was another compartment that had a hole in the middle.  Without any doubts, Parfet slipped the figurine in the slot and almost immediately soft music tinkered out of the box.

Both of them watched the man and the woman move around the base of the box in a circular waltz.  It was a mesmerizing sight backed up by the sweet melody.  Their awe increased when Parfet managed to open the locket and saw the picture inside.  On the left side was a picture of a man and woman gazing deeply into each other's eyes while on the right was an inscription.

"Love binds two people, two hearts, two souls."

"Remember that video you guys stumbled upon last Christmas.  Then you asked me if it's possible for a man and woman to live together?"

"Yes, and you said that it's possible."

"It is but…"

"But would a man from Taraak and a woman from Mejer be able to live together the way men and women lived in Earth before?"

It was as if he read her mind.  Now that they had confessed their feelings for each other, she couldn't help but wonder how they would be able to pull their relationship off.  Couldn't help but feel fear to what's going to happen to them.

She refused to reply primarily because she did not know how and what to reply.  So she just turned her attention back to the chest.  She reached for the white cloth, which turned out to be a dress.  And from the intricate lacework she guessed that this was a special dress…a ceremonial gown.  She unfolded it and held the dress to herself.

It was a beautiful dress and she couldn't help but imagine herself wearing it.  It was a white satin number though it was starting to yellow from age.  It was strapless, the edges and full skirt trimmed with hand woven laces.  There were matching gloves that were long enough to reach several inches past the elbows.

"You would look beautiful in that."

Her reply was a dreamy smile.  She began folding the dress again as he reached in the chest again.  This time he got what seemed like a large book with thick pages.

"What is it?"

"More memories," he said as he opened the book to reveal old photographs.

"Look, Duero!  It's that woman from the locket.  And she's wearing the dress.  What kind of ritual were they performing, do you suppose?"

"It's a wedding ceremony."

"Wedding?"

"I read somewhere before that a man and a woman were legally and spiritually bonded through those ceremonies.  In that ritual, they vow everlasting love and promise each other to be together till death."

"It's a nice thought, isn't it?  Romantic too."

Silently they looked at the pictures.  Page by page, book after book.  They saw the couple as the years passed by.  Saw their children…their grandchildren.  Saw them grow old…still together and still in love with each other as the day they got married.

"It is possible," Parfet suddenly said though quietly.

"No more doubts?"

"Of course there are doubts.  There will always be doubts but it's not as if we're getting married.  Well at least not anytime soon," she blushed.  "We just have to take it slow, you know, and get to know each other more first."

"And see where the road will take us?"

They smiled at each other in understanding then started to place back the stuff in the trunk.  Someone had lovingly placed it there to preserve their memories.  It was not Duero and Parfet's place to take any of those treasures away.  Besides, every one of those items had served their purpose.  They had given reassurance to a new couple that with love anything is possible.

Once the task was over, he helped her stand up and pulled her in his arms.  There they shared kisses and love words with the sweet melody of the music box still playing in their heads.  They were aware of nothing else but of each other.  Had forgotten about the heat and the fact that they're still locked in.

But then suddenly the door slid open and a shout caused them to jump apart.

"Duero!  You've got to help me!  Hide!  I've got to hide!"  Hibiki took a step in the room and shook his head vigorously from side to side in search for a hiding place.

"Don't!"  Duero and Parfet shouted at the same time to stop Hibiki from moving away from the door.  Unfortunately their warning came a second too late.  They each let out a mushroom bubble of a sigh before checking out if the door was locked again.

_Great!  Now we're locked in with that annoying Hibiki_, came the sarcastic thought from Duero.

"What's that?"  Hibiki stopped throwing boxes around to strain his twitching ears.  "Oh no!  She's coming!"

The door slid open again.

"Uchuuji-san!"

This time Parfet managed to slip through the doorframe, waving frantically at Duero who went back to grab his coat.  They quickly moved to the hallway and looked back in time to see Dita glomping on Hibiki just before the metal door slid shut.

"Do you suppose we should let them out?"  Parfet asked, guilt written all over her face.

"No.  A little private time together might do them good."

"Hmm, perhaps you're right.  What do we do now?"

"We'll think of something," he replied with a mischievous grin.

They started walking hand in hand (HHWW-PSSP) only to stop in front of the next room.  Loud voices could be heard inside.

_"Don't just stand there, Jura, do something!  Locking them up was your idea!"_

_"I can't do anything.  Can't you see I broke a nail?"_

_"Would you stop worrying about it?!  It's just a nail!  It'll grow back!"___

Duero and Parfet looked at each other then grinned.

"Oh, look.  It's your toolbox," he whispered to her.

"They did bring me down here under the pretense of fixing something."

"I'm sure you could find something to fix around here."

"Hai!"

~Scene Change~

"Would you stop worrying about it?!  It's just a nail!  It'll grow back," Barnette yelled at the blond.

"I can't think when I'm not looking perfect!"

"What you mean is you can't think, period!"

"NANI!!!"

"Yamero," Meia did not need to shout her warning.  The Dread pilots stopped bickering and contented themselves by glaring at each other.

"Ezra, Paiwei, are we done yet?"  BC's voice was heard above the clicking sounds of keyboard.

"Just a couple of minutes more," the pregnant woman replied, a cherry licorice hanging from her mouth.

"Ditto!"

~Two minutes later~

"Yatta!  Frog cam is back on line!"

They watched the blurry screen and waited for the visual input to clear up.

"Nani!"  They all shouted in unison.

They watched Hibiki being chased by Dita round and round the room with the former stopping in front of the door from time to time to bang on it.  Duero and Parfet were nowhere to be seen.

"Oi, oi!  What the heck happened!"  Jura demanded in confusion.

Just then the audio input came back.

"Uchuuji-san, you promised you'd visit my room."

"Baka!  Why would I want to go there?"

"Ne, you promised!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Yamero!"  This time Meia shouted in outrage.

"Ohohohoho.  Looks like someone's jealous."

"Meia just sent the blond a death glare before striding to the door.  "I'm not staying for this annoying show…NANI!!!"

"What's the matter," BC asked.

"The door won't open," she punched the red button again and again.

"You mean to say we're stuck here to watch Hibiki and Dita chase each other for who knows how long?"  Barnette yelled indignantly, her face fast losing color.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Their unified screams of terror reached every corner of Nirvana but were ignored especially by the couple walking away in each other's arms.

~OWARI~

GLOSSARY 

Aa/Hai – Yes

Uchuuji-san – Mr. Alien

Yamero – Stop

Yatta! – All right!; Yes!

Nani – What

Oi – Hey

Baka – Idiot; Stupid; Moron

**BISHLOV NOTES:**

[1] And there you have it, folks.  My first and probably last Vandread fic.  I refuse to make any others until I get a hold of the Second Stage.  But then, who knows…I might get hungry one of these days and eat my words like I did in some instances.

[2] A big, sloppy kissy thanks to all of you who supported this fic.  You're a tough audience to satisfy but I enjoyed every word you've sent nevertheless.  I'm sorry for all of the mistakes I made along the way but I won't change any of it.  It's too messy and I'm too lazy.

[3] So long, farewell, I hate to say goodbye (with matching dance steps)…


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